I'm a Tourist: Emerald Playa Resort

When we finished our Underground River tour, we went back to the port where there was a beach where the kids were waiting for us. Unfortunately at their age, they would not have fully appreciated the caves and might even be scared of it. So they just stayed at the port beach with grandma.

(Aha!! Is that ice-cream you're eating!?)

 

(Someone isn't happy, because the sand is not cooperating.)

 

(Buko Shake anyone?)

Our flight on the last day was at 5:00PM, so we still had time for one last hurrah. At first the family was planning to take the Honda Bay island hopping tour, but made a wise decision to just stay close to the mainland as not to rush everyone in coming back. (For me, it was really a good choice so that I would have a reason to go back to Palawan)

 

So we ended up in Emerald Playa Beach Resort, which was just a good 15 minutes away from the hotel. Although there was pool at the hotel, it just didn't seem right to be in Palawan and not experience it's other beaches.

 

(This is actually the beachfront of Microtel Resort, they were sharing it with Emerald Playa)

 

When noon came, you know what's next. Lunch at Haim Chicken Inato. (It's seems that we were only able to take a picture of the menu, because when the food arrived, it was a free for all.)

 

Palawan...I'll be back.

 

 

Day One: Puerto Princesa

Day Two: Underground River



I'm a Tourist: Underground River

One of the seven Natural Wonders of the World, I finally got to see our very own Underground River. Day Two of our Palawan vacation started out early as we had to take a 2-hour drive to the port where they will ferry us to the entrance of the Underground river.

 

 

As the tour guide mentioned, the river runs about 8 kilometers long, but for tourists they can only go as far as 1.5 kms, I don't know how true it is that if you pay extra you can go as far as 4 kms, but that's about it because the river or cave eventually goes underwater and only divers and scientists are allowed beyond that point.

 

 

The "boatman / tour guide" was able to provide a brief and yet humorous history of the river and stories of how certain rock formations got its names.

 

 

 

And of course, after a tiring yet exhilarating underground experience, we had dinner at Rene's Saigon Vietnamese Restaurant. Beef Wanton, Fresh Shrimp spring rolls, and a tasteful glass of Vietnamese iced coffee.

 

 

Onwards to Day 3...

 

Day One: Puerto Princesa
Day Three: Emerald Playa Resort

I'm a Tourist: Puerto Princesa

You don't really have to look that far to have a great vacation under the sun. Last week was one of the best getaways I ever had, and most importantly, the kids enjoyed it. We took advantage of the long weekend due to the holidays last August 20 and 21, and packed our stuff for Palawan. Once again I had to stretch my limits since I had to report to the office the night before to do a contract signing orientation for the applicants, and proceed to the airport at 4:00AM. Been there, done that, knowing that what's in store for me is worth all the stress.

 

Though it wasn't my 3-year old son's first time to ride a plane, this was the first when he has full knowledge of what he was riding. (On the way home he wanted all of us to pull down the shade because he was afraid to look outside due to the altitude, saying that we might fall.)

 

 

First on the agenda when we touched down was to check-in our luggage and proceed immediately with the city tour. One of the highlights was this really old plaza that used to be a camp for U.S. prisoners during the WWII era. The soldiers dug a tunnel that led to the sea, but unfortunately the Japanese found out about it and burned the U.S soldiers while they were inside the tunnel.

 

 

We then proceeded to this museum that featured a lot of vintage WWII artifacts, ranging from small tokens to an authentic U.S. military jeep.

For lunch, we ate at the famous Kalui seafood restaurant. Their vegetable tempura was superb!

 

 

And to end the night, we had our dinner at Ugong Rock Grill & Seafood Bar. (What do you expect, we hungry! And that is just day One folks)

 

Day Two: Underground River
Day Three: Emerald Playa Resort

Featured Clips of the Day: Rain Never Stops

It's been raining for over a week, but who's complaining...

VW Eos

VW Golf w/ Gene Kelly

Giordano

M&M's

Papa John's



Another Day in HR

Human Resources can sometimes be like a “tele-novela”, there’s a lot of drama in it. On some occasions there’s a bit of action, and comedy, and this happens on a daily basis. Handling cases is a riot most of the time, especially when employees give reasons and explanations that for me are considered fictional in nature.

Rated-R:
An employee was terminated for using the client’s network to install a download manager and started downloading movies, TV shows and pornographic films. Let me repeat that, downloaded PORN using the client’s network. Whatever reason you state, bottom line, you downloaded pornographic materials using the client’s internet bandwidth. What justification would you give so I can say that, “Oh ok, I’m sorry, I understand your reasons so go ahead and download more porn?”

Gag Reel:
A new hire fails training, and the employee complained that this should not be the case and that the client’s training module is flawed because the trainee claims to be so smart and intelligent and graduated with 2 degrees and a master’s degree, and that the training scores should not be the sole basis of passing. (Wait; let me gather my thoughts again on this one)

First of all, the trainee refused to follow the trainer’s instructions, claiming that there is a better way to do it. Second, the clients know their business even when they are asleep, so they know what is best for them, and if they say that their new hires must hit this goal, there are no exceptions. They don’t care if you are an Albert Einstein, the question is; can you meet their criteria? The trainee refused to follow the trainer, what kind of end result was this trainee expecting when the means to pass was wilful disobedience and insubordination?

Science Fiction/Drama:
The employee has been out for 5 days, claiming to be bed ridden, couldn’t stand up, and has no idea what kind of illness it is. Upon returning to work, the employee did not present any medical certificate, and will just secure it the day after. Obviously the doctor will not be able to determine the illness anymore because the employee is up an about, duh. If you were bed ridden for 2 days and couldn’t get up, shouldn’t you rush yourself to the hospital already? Is it some sort of alien virus that struck you that you felt it was not necessary to go to the ER because for sure they would not know what it is? 

With this kind of “entertainment”, I can’t wait how the next episode will unfold.